Seams and joints of floor coverings are sealed and bonded to keep out moisture and dirt and to impart strength. Seam sealing or bonding systems presently used in the prior art involve the use of environmentally dangerous chemicals, expensive high temperature equipment, or porous grouting materials.
Most floors have seams or joints at regular intervals. These seams can be bonded or sealed or left alone. Sealing of seams is usually preferred because it keeps dirt, spills and cleaning solutions from penetrating into the seam. Foreign matter which penetrates into the seam can interfere with the adhesion of the floor covering to the substrate, produce an undesirable appearance, or foster bacterial growth.
The sealing methods most commonly used are the grouting of rigid tile, the bonding of resilient floors to the subfloor with strong impervious adhesives, the welding of PVC based resilient floors using very high temperatures and threads of PVC inserted into specially cut grooves, and the use of PVC resins dissolved in strong solutions forming lacquers that partially dissolve the PVC flooring forming a solvent weld. Each of these systems has its drawbacks and the floor covering industry is always looking for faster, easier, less expensive, and less dangerous ways to seal or bond seams.